| Malaysia's highest court freed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim from prison today and he was expected to quickly travel to Germany for surgery to treat a back injury stemming from a police beating in 1998. The 2-1 ruling by a panel of the Federal Court overturned a sodomy conviction and came six years to the day that Anwar's mentor-turned-nemesis, then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, fired him as his deputy and heir-apparent and ignited Malaysia's worst political crisis in decades. Prime Minister Ahmad Abdullah Badawi, who succeeded Anwar as Mahathir's hand-picked heir, had been expected to eventually take a softer line toward Anwar and put the divisive issue behind Malaysia since he took office last year and won an overwhelming electoral mandate in March. The decision came six years to the day that Anwar was sacked. Anwar and his supporters have insisted the charges were politically motivated and aimed at ousting the former deputy prime minister to prevent a leadership challenge to Mahathir. The Federal Court earlier rejected his appeal against a six-year sentence for corruption, but Anwar completed that term last year after it was cut by one-third for good behaviour. |